CHENNAI TRADE CENTRE: Feeble voices humming popular film songs accompanied by guitar strums could be heard everywhere. On Wednesday afternoon (July 7, 2010), as one walked through the calm, tranquil expanses of the Chennai Trade Centre, there was a different kind of music in the air. As the pathway leading to the Centre’s halls drew to an end, the voices only got louder and one could now add anxious faces to them. The first level of auditions of the ‘Airtel Super Singer 3’ indeed had a heady start.
Groups of young men and women who had picked a favourable corner for themselves outside the entrance of the main halls, could be seen rehearsing their tunes with utmost allegiance — eyes shut, ears covered either with hands or fancy ear plugs, and voices rising above all that seemed real right there and then. For most it was a moment that held extreme significance — the very final chance that could turn their life around.
It is events such as this that are a constant reminder of the larger-than-life status that the music and reality television industry hold today. As the contestants were escorted one by one to the performance room, most lost their nerve at that very moment for which they had prepared for months together.
With the camera pointed right at their faces and the acclaimed judges — Shalini and Unni Menon for one set of auditions and Shailaja and Soumya for the other — observing their every move and noting down the results, it was a stressful moment for many of these aspiring singers who were probably performing this way for the first time in their lives.
The judges however assured that the basic requirements — rhythm and pitch — were what they were essentially looking for at this level.
“It’s true that the show has gone a notch higher this year and so has the criteria. But we are showing some lenience here,” said Shalini. The shortlisted contestants will be taken through other rounds of training after these preliminary auditions.
Airtel Super Singer 3 will be launched from July 12 every Monday-Thursday at 9 PM on Vijay TV.